North Carolina

North Carolina:

CITY: North Carolina
SONG TO DOWNLOAD:

Annuals

All-Time Best Band: SuperchunkAll-Time Best Solo Artist: George ClintonBest New Band: Annuals

We’re pretty sure it’s impossible not to have fun while listening to Superchunk. Even though watching their videos makes the “me” behind this royal “we” feel kind of old, the songs all hold up like the pillars of proto-post-pop-punk they are. Forever ensconced as the band who built the still-expanding Merge empire, these patron saints of Carolinan indie won’t be remembered so much for this or that song as they will endure as a reminder of better days past — sort of like tinnitus. | We were pretty sure that George Clinton was from some freaky, sexy galaxy, but the emperor of P-Funk is actually from Kannapolis. Dr. Funkenstein is years removed from commanding the Mothership, but funk is forever. (Want proof? Sniff his couch.) | Oh, and being fans of sunshiney front-porch pop, we’re falling pretty hard for Annuals over here — which is a little weird, because they’re sort of young, plus there’s six of them. (We might need to simmer down a bit until we’re sure they’re legal.)